Anthrax: The Killer

1
Anthrax The Killer
Mariyah Hussain and Alison Riviera
2
What is Anthrax?

• Anthrax is caused by a spore forming bacterium
  named Bacillus anthracis.
• Most common in animals, but humans can get the
  disease too.
• Other names for the disease are Wool sorters
  Disease and Ragpickers Disease
• It is aerobic and non-motile. Usually about 3
  microns in diameter.

3
There are three forms of Anthrax that will affect
the human body

• Inhalation Anthrax
• Cutaneous Anthrax
• Gastrointestinal Tract Anthrax

4
Inhalation Anthrax

• You will become infected by the disease if the
  spores enter into the body through the nasal
  passage.
• Usually the person will recover if treatment is
  given right away. Once the patient has entered
  stage two without treatment it is likely the
  patient will die.

5
http//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/enc
y/fullsize/19058.jpg
6
Symptoms

• First stage symptoms include fever, malaise,
  headache, cough, shortness of breath, and chest
  pain.
• Second stage symptoms include fever, Severe
  shortness of breath, and shock. Most likely
  followed by death.

7
Tests That Should Be Done

• To see if it really is inhalation anthrax the
  hospital should run the following tests chest
  x-ray, blood cultures, sputum cultures, and a
  spinal tap. Also you should do a gram stain to
  better see the results.

8
Tests

• For identification of Bacillus anthracis through
  staining, one must observe encapsulated bacilli
  when using polychrome methelyene-blue stain
  Turnbull, 1996.
• The typical appearance includes matte appearance,
  flat, tacky, white or gray white, and
  non-hemolytic on blood agar.

9
Cutaneous Anthrax

• This is a form of the Anthrax disease that can
  enter through the skin and infect the person.
• Contact with the skin or wool of an infected
  animal could pass the disease on to you.

10
http//static.howstuffworks.com/gif/cutaneous-anth
rax.gif
11
Symptoms

• First there is swelling around the infected area
  and then a papule, blisters, and finally a black
  scar that follows the outer edge of the swelling.

12
Tests That Should Be Done

• If you believe that possibly you have this form
  of this disease you should get a culture of the
  lesion. This culture can them be tested. From the
  test results you will know if the Anthrax spores
  have entered your body or not.

13
Gastrontestinal Tract Anthrax

• This form of the disease is the most deadly.
• It will enter your system through ingesting
  tainted food sources.
• Since animals can be a large source of the
  disease most people with this type of infection
  get it from eating tainted animals.

14
http//static.howstuffworks.com/gif/gi-anthrax.gif
15
Symptoms

• Usual symptoms with this form is vomiting
  (usually with blood), anorexia, and bloody
  diarrhea.

16
Figure 1. Extensive edema and hemorrhage
involving the cecum in a patient with intestinal
anthrax.
http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no5/02-0537.htm
17

• Figure 2. Anthrax bacilli (arrow) within
  mesenteric lymph node tissue.

http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no5/02-0537.htm
18

• Figure 3. A. Severe edema of a small bowel loop
  in intestinal anthrax with a large mesenteric
  lymph node held between the surgeons fingers...

http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no5/02-0537.htm
19
Oropharyngeal Anthrax
http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no7/02-0062.htm
After 5 days from initial diagnosis
Initial diagnosis Swelling on side of neck
After 9 days from initial diagnosis
20
Three forms of Anthrax in Animals

• Apoplectic Anthrax
• Acute/Sub-acute Anthrax
• Chronic Anthrax

21
Apoplectic Anthrax

• Mostly found in sheep, cattle, and goats.
• Most frequently occurs in the beginning of an
  outbreak.
• Death will occur suddenly after showing signs of
  hemorrhaging in the brain.

22
Acute/Sub-acute

• Mostly found in sheep, cattle, and horses.
• Some symptoms are fever, excitement followed by
  depression, difficulty breathing, uncoordinated
  movement, convulsions, and eventually death.
  Unknown author, 1997

23
Chronic Anthrax

• Occurs in species that may not be susceptible to
  anthrax such as pigs, cattle, horses, and dogs.
• Symptoms are foaming at the mouth and edema.

24
Did you know?

• Did you know that a large number of Bacillus
  anthracis spores are produced even as the animal
  is dying. This is why people handling the sick
  animals have a higher chance of getting sick from
  the dying animal.

http//www.pin.org.uk/homework/images/lightbulb.jp
g
25
Vaccines for Humans

• The first United States anthrax vaccine was
  invented in 1950.
• But the current form of the vaccine that is used
  today was formulated in 1960 and approved for
  usage in 1970.
• It is said that our kill United States vaccine
  may not work as good as Russian live anthrax
  vaccine.

26
Current United States Vaccine

• The current vaccine is not available to the
  general public only to military personal.
• This must be given out in 6 shots over an 18
  month period.
• Some side effect may include things linked to
  Gulf War syndrome such as depression, severe
  fatigue, and some skin rashes.
• Also does not protect some people from natural
  occurring strains of the disease.

27
Experimental Vaccines for Humans

• There is a new experimental vaccine that is being
  developed by using fragments of DNA from the
  actual disease itself. They hope by injecting
  those strands of DNA into the persons body that
  it will help them fight off the disease. At the
  time this is being tested on mice.

28
Didnt Your Mother Ever Tell You to Eat Your
Spinach!

• Yes, we are talking about spinach. Recent studies
  have come out saying that spinach can be used as
  an edible vaccine against anthrax because they
  can produce the protective antigen of bacillus
  anthracis. Wow! I think I will eat my spinach
  now!

http//0-www.sciencedirect.com.wizard.umd.umich.ed
u/science?
29
Antibiotics

• There are many antibiotics on the available to
  help treat anthrax. But the most well known and
  the best on the market is Ciprofloxacin (Cipro).
• The only time that this should be used in
  children under the age of 18 is if they were
  exposed to inhalation anthrax.
• You may also use penicillin or doxycycline, but
  these can be only on certain strains.
• You must use the antibiotics for 60 days to make
  sure that the anthrax spores have been killed.

30
Treatment
Table 1. Interim recommendations for postexposure
prophylaxis for prevention of inhalational
anthrax after intentional exposure to B.
anthracis                                  
                                a Ciprofloxacin
dose should not exceed 1 g per day in children.
http//0-www.sciencedirect.co
m.wizard.umd.umich.edu/science?
31
Animal Vaccines

• The first vaccine that was developed for animals
  was developed in 1880 by Pasteur, Toussaint, and
  Greenfield.
• The vaccine that is used today for animals was
  invented in 1935 by a man named Sterne.

32
Biological Warfare

• There are many different ways that a country
  could be attacked by a bio-weapon. For example
  dropping an anthrax bomb. This could infect a
  wide area with something that is easily
  transported. Also as seen in recent years the
  spores could be sent through the mail and hurt
  postal workers and people receiving the mail.

33
Some of the letters that were sent through the
mail with anthrax spores inside.
http//web.bham.ac.uk/forensic/anthrax.jpg
34
Treatment If There Is a Bio-terror Attack
http//0-www.sciencedirect.com.wizard.umd.umich.ed
u/science?
35
Gruinard Island

• This is literally the island of anthrax. In 1942
  the British government decided to use this remote
  island off the northwestern coast of Scotland.
  They chose this island to be there testing site
  for there new anthrax bomb they had developed.
  They wanted to use the bomb against the German
  forces in World War II. I think I will pass on
  the spinach grown there!

http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1457035.stm
36
Questions???